Augusta, Maine – Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has selected Derek Langhauser, President of the Maine Community College System, to serve as Chief Legal Counsel and Linda Pistner, Chief Deputy Attorney General, to serve as Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor.
“Attorneys Derek Langhauser and Linda Pistner have dedicated their careers to serving the people of Maine, and I am excited they will continue that service as Chief Legal Counsel and Deputy Legal Counsel, respectively, in my office,” said Governor Mills. “They are two of the sharpest legal minds in the state. Their wealth of experience, and their deep respect for the Constitution and the rule of law will be a tremendous asset to the people of Maine in the coming years.”
“The opportunity to serve as Legal Counsel to Governor Mills is a high privilege. She and Ms. Pistner are themselves both excellent, experienced lawyers, so it will be an even greater privilege to have one for a client and one for a colleague,” Langhauser said.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside Governor Mills in the Attorney General's Office, which has enriched my life. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join Governor Mills in continuing our shared work on behalf of the people of Maine, and I look forward to working closely with Mr. Langhauser, for whom I also have the greatest respect" said Pistner.
Langhauser has practiced law for more than 30 years and has advised all three branches of government. He clerked for two Maine Supreme Court Justices and served as constitutional counsel to Governor McKernan for four years and counsel to U.S. Senator Snowe for fourteen years. Over the years, his advice has also been sought by the administrations of Governors Angus King and John Baldacci, several Attorneys General, and numerous legislative leaders. Most recently, Langhauser served as General Counsel and President of the Maine Community College System.
Langhauser’s work has been recognized nationally. He is a member of the Council of The American Law Institute, Fellow and former President of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has chaired or advised both state and federal judicial selection panels and authored a comprehensive article on U.S. Supreme Court appointments. Langhauser, 56, lives in Cumberland Foreside with his wife and daughter.
Pistner has served as Chief Deputy Attorney General since 1994, after first joining the Maine Office of the Attorney General in October 1979. During the first half of her career in the Attorney General’s Office, Pistner focused extensively on insurance, business and licensing regulation and successfully defended the state during a time of immense upheaval in the areas of workers’ compensation benefits and insurance. She also represented the Superintendent of Insurance in numerous appeals of administrative decisions, including an unprecedented order directing a state health care insurer to cover the cost of a bone marrow transplant for a woman battling late-stage breast cancer.
Pistner, age 68, has served five Attorney Generals as Chief Deputy, working closely with the Legislature and its staff, as well as the former governors' counsel, while coordinating the varied and important work of the office. She also served on the Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access Laws since its inception and provides training on that topic to members of the Legislature. She also serves as the Attorney General’s representative on the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission and the Advisory Committee on Professional Responsibility. Pistner is a 1975 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and lives in Manchester, Maine.
Last week, Governor Mills announced a series of staff appointments, including senior policy advisors and constituent service representatives.